When the temperature drops, a pot of Hungarian Goulash is always on our menu. It is made with tender beef, sweet onions, and a savory broth that fills the house with the best cozy aroma.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: Rich and hearty with sweet onions and tender chunks of beef in a delicious paprika broth.
- Technique: Cooking the soup low and slow tenderizes the meat.
- Budget Tip: Hungarian goulash is a great way to turn a less expensive cut of meat into a tender and delicious meal. Adding potatoes and carrots will stretch the meal further.
- Recipe Note: Hungarian Goulash is very different from an American goulash recipe, which is a pasta and ground beef dish!
Ingredient Notes For Goulash
- Paprika: Hungarian paprika is made from ground dried peppers that range from mild to hot, so its flavor varies by region. Paprika can be smoked, sweet, or hot, but this recipe usually uses the mild or sweet varieties.
- Vegetables: Families often customize this dish with potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, peppers, or tomatoes. Some Hungarian Goulash recipes use only onions or serve veggies on the side.
- Beef & Broth: Use chunks of either stew beef or chuck roast.
How to Make Hungarian Goulash
- Sauté onions in butter until soft, then sear the beef until browned.
- Add broth to deglaze, then mix in tomatoes, more broth, and spices.
- Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer (full recipe below) until the meat is tender.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the goulash on its own or over homemade egg noodles, elbow macaroni, or mashed potatoes. Top it with a dollop of sour cream and fresh parsley.
Add a side of crusty artisan bread and butter, 30-minute dinner rolls, or biscuits to soak up any leftover gravy.
Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat, warm over low to medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of beef broth if it is too thick. Or, reheat single servings in the microwave in short intervals, stirring occasionally, and adding liquid if needed.
Must-Try Soups and Stews
Did you make this Hungarian Goulash? Leave a rating and comment below!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons salted butter oil, or lard (preferred)
- 2 medium yellow onions diced
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1½ pounds stewing beef or chuck, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups beef broth or water, divided
- 1 cup canned diced tomatoes drained
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Optional
- 2 medium potatoes peeled and diced, optional
- 3 medium carrots diced, optional
- chopped fresh parsley and sour cream for serving, optional
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or large pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in caraway seeds and paprika.
- In a bowl or zip-top bag, dredge the beef with flour and shake off any excess. Add the beef to the onion mixture and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Slowly add ¼ cup of beef broth while scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining broth and diced tomatoes. Add potatoes and carrots if using. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover, and cook for about 1½ -2 hours or until the beef is fork-tender.
- Garnish with parsley if desired and serve with a dollop of sour cream.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Beef, Main Course, Soup
Cuisine Hungary© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Can this work in a crockpot
Hi Sandy, we haven’t tried this recipe in the slow cooker but I would suggest 8-10 hours on low or 4-6 on high. Let us know how it goes. We do have this delicious crockpot Gulash that you may enjoy too!
10/10 — used butter and a bit of oil instead of lard as my roommates are Muslim, but otherwise I didn’t change a thing. Definitely use a good imported Hungarian sweet paprika — it makes all the difference. Oh, and this is spend with pennies — the chuck was on sale so all told for 2lbs of meat and everything else it came out to $2.50 a serving!
This was fast and easy. We used elbow macaroni with carrots and corn. My 16 year old granddaughter made this and it was very delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
I loved the creamy texture of the recipe. The caraway was a different flavor that reminded me too much of rye bread. probably won’t add it in the future or will much less, anyway. How much is a serving? A cup, two cups? Without that information, all the nutritional details aren’t helpful. Thanks much.
With the potatoes and carrots, a serving is about 2 cups. For more accurate nutrition information we recommend using a nutrition calculator like MyFitnessPal. Hope that helps!
Used a cup of Hungarian paprika and more pepper and beef broth…basically doubled everything because I had a 3 lb beef chuck. Can’t wait. Used ditch oven on stove first ,now in oven at 275 for 4 hours. Potatoes and carrots of course too
I bought some fresh ready-to-eat from our local Gelsons. Excellent. They use ground beef in place of steak. Reminded me of my post-college decade in central Europe. Thank you.
Love your recipes!! I made this once and it was delicious! I’m wondering, would it be ok to use ground beef? I have some i need to use up. Thank you!
I haven’t tried it but I think it’d be delicious!
I tried this recipe after having Goulash at a local German restaurant. Theirs was fantastic and I hoped to come close. This recipe knocked it out of the park!! It turned out even better than that of the restaurant! I did leave out the caraway seeds since I didn’t have any on hand and I’m not a fan.
My wife raved bout this! Good hearty broth, tender beef, outstanding!
Ez egy bizonyára nagyon ízletes étel, de ennek semmi köze a magyar gulyáshoz!!! A gulyás eredetileg egy híg leves, amelyben marhahús, hagyma, sárgarépa, fehérrépa, zeller és krumpli van, illetve 1 darab paradicsom és 1 darab magyar sárgapaprika. Fűszerek: só, bors,kömény, babérlevél, fokhagyma, petrezselyem, zellerlevél. Ez nem pörkölt!!! Az egy teljesen más étel! Én magyar vagyok, úgyhogy tudom.
So glad you enjoyed it, Gyulai! Thank you for sharing that information about Hungarian Goulash. We appreciate it!
my own thoughts as well…… :)
Love goulash and love this recipe. I do notice though mine ends up being a bit more soupy then I’d like. Any thoughts on ways to thicken it up some?
Hi John, to make a little thicker, you could increase the flour slightly. Or if it isn’t thick enough towards the end of cooking you could add a flour and water mixture then to thicken it.
Ad a good dollop of soured cream and some chopped fresh coriander along with a couple of quartered boiled eggs as an accompaniment
I would cook the beef a little longer – then add veggies.
I’m excited to try this!! I’ve never made goulash before. Can it simmer longer than a couple of hours without drying out? I’m wondering if I could make it in the morning and simmer it all day like a traditional stew. Also, I’ve never cooked with caraway seeds – do you crush them first or add them whole? Thank you! :)
Hi Bri, I have never tried simmering this recipe all day so I would love to hear how it turns out for you. I would maybe add a little extra liquid to ensure it doesn’t dry out. We add the caraway seeds as is in step 1. Hope that helps :)
I’m originally from Germany where the goulash is similar to the Hungarian one, I simmered it for 5 hours to get the meat TENDER!!! I added a cup of broth every hour especially when it started thickening up. AMAZING! Gonna be a household recipe here in this house!
First time ever making goulash and this was a good recipe to start with, definitely a go to. I followed the recipe as written. Per the butcher’s recommendation we used top sirloin which was a great choice – not too fatty, perfectly tender at the end of cooking. My observation – 3# is a lot of meat, so we used a 9 qt Dutch oven, could have used a bit larger but it worked. Used regular hungarian paprika, at the end we spiced it up with a little extra pepper, salt and some spicy paprika. I think next time will sub 1/4 of the paprika with spicy and up the salt and pepper a bit – personal choice. The sauce thickened perfectly. I am now confident I can cook goulash well enough to serve to guests!
Wow, this was tasty! My five year old inhaled it – he’s a meat lover. And we used organic beef shanks instead of veal, but the result was the same: a taste sensation.
Our friend used garlic too and onion for the goulash and lots of Paprika. plus lots of fresh cracked pepper and fresh carrots too. also and Dad would talk him in using filet for the meat that was aged 60 days . Man what a dish that was .
Yum, that sounds delicious Thomas!
Do you cook it first, then freeze if making for later?
Hi Susan, that is exactly how we prepare it. We cook it first then freeze it in individual portions to enjoy later.
I love this stew! I wonder if little shrimps would be good in it as well! ☺️
I’m sure that’d be tasty Heather!
Simple recipe to follow. I substituted passata for chopped tomatoes and turnip for potatoes – as I had just harvested my vegetables. the result was a lovely smooth sauce without the need to thicken – lovely.